Sleep study results don’t mention sleeping on back vs. side

I’ve been thinking about the sleep test results, and it occurred to me that there is important information missing.

Our primary care physician said Carl didn’t show bad apnea, but he did wake up 49 times an hour. She also said there is some breathing problem, so the CPAP test is very much a good idea.

It’s my understanding that apnea, like snoring, is a worse problem when the sleeper is lying on their back. It seems that a corollary inference would be that apnea should be substantially improved – even maybe eliminated – if the sleeper was lying on their side.

Having slept next to the guy for thirty some years, I’m aware that Carl spends some part of the night sleeping on his side. Also, having given it some thought recently, it seems that his leg kicking happens when he’s sleeping on his side – maybe more so than when he’s sleeping on his back — perhaps only when he’s on his side.

I also think Carl spends a lot more of the night on his back than on his side. But I’m not sure about that.

I realized that the report I received, on the test results, made no reference to back vs. side. And the test result observation that Carl didn’t show bad apnea would seem to enhance the possible importance of that information.

It seems to me that an understanding of how much time Carl spent on his back vs. how much time on his side could be an important piece of this puzzle. Along with that, it would seem to be important to understand whether there was any difference in his sleep disturbance pattern when he was on his back vs. on his side.

This idea – or question – occurred to me over the weekend. I left a message for the doctor on Monday. The second, CPAP night of Carl’s sleep test is Wednesday. I may not hear back from the doctor before that.

But I have definitely advanced my thinking on the subject. And perhaps I have asked a question that could positively influence the benefits Carl could realize from this testing process. Think what a difference it would make for him if he could enjoy reading a book again.